The Black Forest: Churches, Beer, and Food. It Doesn't Get More German Than This.

Let’s not get too comfortable, now.

After only one full day at our cozy Hayingen cabin, we’re heading off
to see some old family friends: Lynn and Franz. Mom and dad have known Lynn
since dad’s Air Force days, and since she’s lived over here for most of her
life, it’s not often that they get to reconnect.

A Honey-Do dining nook. Honey, do you dare?

We met at the Honey-Do Restaurant for some mid-afternoon beers and/or coffee.
Described by mom and dad as the "nostalgic" rendezvous point to which they’ve
faithfully returned to meet up with Lynn over the past few decades, I expected
something…more? I suppose our dear Honey-Do has grown a bit elderly, lost a bit
of her flair, and now is just another 80-year-old baroness with too much makeup
on the eyes and caretakers who get overwhelmed when you ask what the juice
flavors are today. It’s a shame, because I can see how it must’ve been a bit
magical in its heyday.

What a view

Eau de vie..."life water." I'll take it!

Nevertheless, the view is fantastic, especially because we were
overlooking the “Kaiser Hills,” and even though they were just hills in the
plainest sense of the world, I assume that I'm entitled to them in some way
that only makes sense to me (that's with regard to my surname, if you're wondering).

The Honey-Do view

Oh, and Honey-Do? Turn on a damn fan or something. It's summer outside.

Righteouly-placed nostalgia was
soon after found after venturing to the nearby town of Schwäbisch Gmünd, pronounced "Schway-bush Gamoond"...I think. With a name like that, you should clearly just go there. How could you resist something so quaint, so German? But apart from the name, the cobblestoned town is filled with cute shops and historical Baroque and Romanesque points of interest.

We had some (more) beers and coffee in the town
square, did some shopping (because why not try to make my backpack heavier?),
and set off to catch some of the tourist attractions, which, being in Europe,
were mostly churches.

Take a look...

Gettin' fresh with Germany

I told you the streets were cobblestoned

John and Franz are running for the embrace

Germans are just so cute

The Romanesque St. John's Catholic church. Compareit's style to the next picture...

Although built in the 15th century, this Baroque-style church was repainted in 1756 by the architect JM Keller

So pensive...

The frescoed ceiling of the nave depicts five scenes from the life of St. Augustine.

Somehow ravenous after the two very mild activities of sitting in
shops getting drinks all day and visiting churches, we managed to avoid the easy-fix
solution of eating in a tourist franchise on the square (phew!) and Lynn brought
us instead to a tiny locals-only affair about 15 minutes outside of town.

That’s what I’m talkin about.

It doesn't look like much, but it is secretly going to make youfull just by looking at it. There is nearly always deceptively filling salad served with German meals, usually with potato salad, cabbage, carrots, tomato, and greens

How can you not honor and respect a culture that gives you tiny lemon squeezers?

So I’m beginning to realize that basically all German food is soul food.

Hey Paris, you know how your food is often said to eerily
resemble nouveau art? Oh, and Barcelona, you’re turning your food into foam, I
hear?Well, Germany doesn’t give a shi...zer. It has
a formula and it’s sticking to it.

The formula is as follows: Large beer to
precede a dense salad of lettuce, potatoes, marinated cabbage, shredded carrots, and tomato,
followed by a huge (huge) plate of doughy seasoned dumpling-esque things or
meat smothered in some sort of thick gravy, and served with a side of (probably)
spaetzle, which consists of tiny corkscrew-like German dumplings from heaven—like how
pasta would be if it were popcorn.

I
like this formula as long as there is no scale around.

Thinly sliced beef with "gypsy-style" sauce,
which is essentially with goulash seasonings

Lynn helped us to finish out the night with this Zibärtle,
plum schnapps from the black forest. Tastes like clean.

2 comments:

This looks and sounds amazing! My brother in law is in Germany for Octoberfest right now. I think it is wonderful how you are traveling and seeing (and eating) everything you can. Kudos to you for living life to the fullest!

-Be safe in your travels, Heather ( Aunt Carols stepdaughter)

PS I started to blog after seeing yours and to speaking to a few other who do also. Mine is chemobrainandmore.wordpress.com if you have time to check it out.